How Bad Do You Want It?: Mastering the Pshchology of Mind over Muscle

The greatest athletic performances spring from the mind, not the body. Elite athletes have known this for decades, and now science is learning why it's true. In his fascinating new book, How Bad Do You Want It?, coach Matt Fitzgerald examines more than a dozen pivotal races to discover the surprising ways elite athletes strengthen their mental toughness.

Out There: A Story of Ultra Recovery

David Clark went from the rock bottom of bankruptcy, addiction, and obesity to becoming an accomplished athlete. In this compelling story of his life, he not only shares his journey with complete honesty, but he also lays out a blueprint for change that anyone can use to redefine what is possible.

Ultramarathon Man: Confession of an All-Night Runner

Karnazes reveals the mind-boggling adventures of his nonstop treks through the hell of Death Valley, the incomprehensible frigidity of the South Pole, and the breathtaking beauty of the mountains and canyons of the Sierra Nevada.

Running Man: A Memoir

After a decade-long addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol, Charlie Engle hit bottom with a near-fatal six-day binge that ended in a hail of bullets. As Engle got sober, he turned to running, which became his lifeline, his pastime, and his salvation. He began with marathons, and when marathons weren't far enough he began to take on ultramarathons, races that went for 35, 50, and sometimes hundreds of miles, traveling to some of the most unforgiving places on earth to race.

Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness

A dominant force in the sport of ultrarunning, Scott Jurek is a seven-time winner of the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run and a two-time winner of the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon through Death Valley. Eat & Run offers an inspirational account of Jurek’s life as a runner and vegan. Regaling listeners with jaw-dropping tales of endurance, Jurek also delivers sound science and practical advice—as well as his favorite plant-based recipes.

Primal Endurance: Escape Chronic Cardio and Carbohydrate Dependency, and Become a Fat-Burning Beast!

Primal Endurance shakes up the status quo and challenges the overly stressful, ineffective conventional approach to endurance training. While marathons and triathlons are wildly popular and bring much gratification and camaraderie to the participants, the majority of athletes are too slow, continually tired, and carry too much body fat respective to the time they devote to training. The prevailing "chronic cardio" approach promotes carbohydrate dependency, overly stressful lifestyle patterns, and ultimately burnout.

An incredible but true account of achieving one of the most awe-inspiring midlife physical transformations ever

In October 2006, the night before he was to turn forty, Rich experienced a chilling glimpse of his future. Nearly fifty pounds overweight and unable to climb the stairs without stopping, he saw where his sedentary lifestyle was taking him. Most of us look the other way when granted such a moment of clarity, but not Rich.

The Road to Sparta: Reliving the Ancient Battle and Epic Run That Inspired the World's Greatest Footrace

In 490 BCE Pheidippides ran for 36 hours straight from Athens to Sparta to seek help in defending Athens from a Persian invasion in the Battle of Marathon. In doing so he saved the development of Western civilization and inspired the birth of the marathon as we know it. Even now, some 2,500 years later, that run stands enduringly as one of greatest physical accomplishments in the history of mankind.

Natural Born Heroes: How a Daring Band of Misfits Mastered the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance

After running an ultramarathon through the Copper Canyons of Mexico, Christopher McDougall finds his next great adventure on the razor-sharp mountains of Crete, where a band of Resistance fighters in World War II plotted the daring abduction of a German general from the heart of the Nazi occupation.

The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultrarunning Greatness

One year after her astonishing victory at the Badwater Ultramarathon, Pam Reed again made distance running history when she braved the hottest weather in years - 135 degrees - to successfully defend her title. How does this 100-pound mother and stepmother of five muster the endurance and courage for the 28-hour climb from the hottest desert floor on Earth to the shadow of the continental United States' tallest point?

Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss

In his follow-up to the best-selling Ultra-Marathon Man, world-renowned ultra marathoner Dean Karnazes chronicles his unbelievable exploits and explorations in gripping detail; Karnazes runs for days on end without rest, across some of the most exotic and inhospitable places on earth, including the Australian Outback, Antarctica, and the back alleys of New Jersey.

In 2007, Chrissie Wellington shocked the triathlon world by winning the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. As a newcomer and a complete unknown to the press, Chrissie's win shook up the sport. A Life without Limits is the story of her rise to the top, a journey that has taken her around the world, from a childhood in England, to the mountains of Nepal, to the oceans of New Zealand, to the trails of Argentina, and finally, across the finish line. A Life without Limits reveals the heart behind her success.

Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health, & Life

Beyond Training is for men and women who have made it out of couch potato mode and are ready to take things to the next level, whether that means shedding those last few extra pounds, finishing a 5K, or even crossing the finish line of an Ironman triathlon. Everyone from the casual exerciser to the weightlifter, CrossFitter, obstacle racer, marathoner, mountaineer, triathlete, swimmer, cyclist, runner, and biohacker will glean tons of knowledge and life-changing advice from this book.

The Cool Impossible: The Coach from "Born to Run" Shows How to Get the Most from Your Miles - and from Yourself

Featured in the best-selling book Born to Run, coach and performance guru Eric Orton has spent a lifetime learning and thinking about running and about the limitless possibilities of the human body and mind. In The Cool Impossible, Orton shares his wealth of knowledge in an inspiring step-by-step guide that will open up a new world of achievement for runners of all levels of ability and experience. The truth is: Athleticism is awareness. That simple phrase is at the core of The Cool Impossible.

Crystal West says:"Inadequate in Audio Format. No supplement offered."

My Year of Running Dangerously

As a journalist whose career spans three decades, CNN correspondent Tom Foreman has reported from the heart of war zones, riots, and natural disasters. He has interviewed serial killers and been in the line of fire. But the most terrifying moment of his life didn't occur on the job - it occurred at home, when his 18-year-old daughter asked, "How would you feel about running a marathon with me?"

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

Why we think it’s a great listen: Want to join the “superhumans”? Luckily you don’t have to run to catch up with them, thanks to McDougall’s and Sanders’ inspiring (and motivating) journey through history, science, physiology, health, entertaining characters and unlikely friendships. Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure.

My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon

My Life on the Run chronicles the heatstroke and frostbite, heartache and triumphs he's experienced while competing in more than 1,000 competitive races on all seven continents. With the wit and wisdom of a seasoned insider, Yasso tells runners what they need to know to navigate the logistics of running in an unfamiliar country. He also offers practical guidance, such as 5-K, 10-K, half-marathon, and marathon training schedules, including his innovative technique known as the Yasso 800s for beginner, intermediate, and advanced runners.

Fat Man to Green Man: From Unfit to Ultramarathon

Despite believing he was bionic as a child, Ira Rainey was far from an elite athlete with superhuman running abilities like the ones he read about in books. He was in fact an overweight and unfit slacker who felt a bit sorry for himself because he had sore feet. Sure he ran a bit, but he also sat around a lot and ate and drank too much. Why? Because he could, and because he was a delusional optimist who thought everything would always be just fine.

To Be a Runner: How Racing Up Mountains, Running with the Bulls, or Just Taking On a 5-K Makes You a Better Person (and the World a Better Place)

With an exuberant mix of passion, insight, instruction, and humor, best-selling author - and lifelong runner - Martin Dugard takes a journey through the world of running to illustrate how the sport helps us fulfill that universal desire to be the best possible version of ourselves each and every time we lace up our shoes. To Be a Runner represents a new way to write about running by bridging the chasm between the two categories of running books: how-to and personal narrative.

I'm Here to Win: A World Champion's Advice for Peak Performance

As the winner of the 2010 Ironman Championship in Kona, Hawaii, Chris "Macca" McCormack may be the world's greatest athlete. In I'm Here to Win, McCormack shares his story along with training tips and practical advice to help listeners develop their own routines, diet, exercise programs and race strategies. Chris McCormack has dedicated his life to training for - and winning - the Ironman World Championships, one of the most grueling tests of mental and physical endurance in the world.

1:59: The Sub-Two-Hour Marathon Is Within Reach - Here’s How It Will Go Down, and What It Can Teach All Runners About Training and Racing

What will it take to run a marathon in less than two hours? The world's fastest times for the marathon have been dropping since the distance of 26.2 miles was made official nearly one hundred years ago. But after a noticeable decline that occurred for a half century, the times, while still edging lower, have stalled several minutes north of two hours for the past decade. For the first time, 1:59 examines what it will take for an elite distance runner to go subtwo hours.

You Are an Ironman: How Six Weekend Warriors Chased Their Dream of Finishing the World's Toughest Triathlon

As he did so masterfully in his New York Times best seller The Gatekeepers, Jacques Steinberg creates a compelling portrait of people obsessed with reaching a life-defining goal. In this instance, the target is an Ironman triathlon---a 2.4-mile open-water swim followed by a 112-mile bike ride, then finally a 26-mile marathon run, all of which must be completed in no more than seventeen hours. Steinberg focuses not on the professional who live off the prize money and sponsorships, but on a handful of triathletes who regard the sport as a hobby.

Iron War: Dave Scott, Mark Allen, and the Greatest Race Ever Run

The 1989 Ironman World Championship was the greatest race ever in endurance sports. In a spectacular duel that became known as the Iron War, the world's two strongest athletes raced side by side at world-record pace for a grueling 139 miles. Driven by one of the fiercest rivalries in triathlon, Dave Scott and Mark Allen raced shoulder to shoulder through Ironman’s 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race, and 26.2-mile marathon. After 8 punishing hours, both men would demolish the previous record - and cross the finish line a mere 58 seconds apart.

Running with the Mind of Meditation: Lessons for Training Body and Mind

As a Tibetan lama and leader of Shambhala (an international community of 165 meditation centers), Sakyong Mipham has found physical activity to be essential for spiritual well-being. He's been trained in horsemanship and martial arts but has a special love for running. Here, he incorporates his spiritual practice with running, presenting basic meditation instruction and fundamental principles he has developed.

Publisher's Summary

Travis Macy has summited glacial peaks in the French Alps, rappelled into limestone caves in China, and raced through parched deserts in Utah. In 2013 he famously won the Leadman Series, a combination of nearly 300 miles of high-altitude trail running and mountain biking over the course of five epic endurance races. Macy achieved all of these victories without elite professional training or even exceptional strength, speed, or flexibility. His secret? A precise outlook he calls the "ultra mindset", a set of simple principles for daily life that includes embracing fear, rewriting the stories we tell ourselves, and mastering the art of asking for help.

By practicing these principles in all areas of life, anyone can successfully achieve goals that might have otherwise seemed impossible.

Where does The Ultra Mindset rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I thought it was well done, had a ton of good ideas for the average athlete. This is an easy, short listen but well worth the time.

What other book might you compare The Ultra Mindset to and why?

My Life on the Run, Eat to Win, Born to Run were similar in tone. What sets this book apart is that all of the ideas can be used by the amateur. Don't be put off my his ultra credentials if you are a weekend runner. The concepts are adaptable and they work.

What does Brian Hutchinson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I thought he did a good job. He didn't wound too polished, which lent credibility to the reading. This is not a literature book, its more of a memoir and he did a great job.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I never listen in one sitting, but this is a short book and got through it pretty quickly. It was enjoyable.

Any additional comments?

There are a lot of running books and most are not very good. Many are just a recap of a freakish athlete and their accomplishments. As an amateur athlete who does Spartan Races and marathons I am looking for inspiration and information I can use to further my humble goals. This book provided that without any fame adulation usually associated with this category. I recommend this book to any amateur athlete who wants to improve their performance and mindset. Well done.

Training for the Roof of Africa enduro motocross race, "The Ultra Mindset" really gave me some insight in terms of how i can motivate myself with the prepration for the race as well as the mindset which I need to adopt during the race. Travis's stories and views are insightful and entertaining, giving the reader something to think about not only in terms of races / training but also life in general. Thoroughly enjoyed it!!!

80% autobiography 20% self-help motivational text. While I think this was an interesting approach for a book, I happen to think that most readers will fall into the camp of either appreciating one or the other. As a runner, I would've liked to of heard more specifics about the author's training and diet plans.

Very practical methods of acheiving goals, delivered by the author within the frame of ultra endurance sports. Travis Macy shows how he came to live these steps and goals and the falls along the way. It's not just for athletes - I enjoyed the book but will still never run 100miles!

Oh dear. I wanted to really like this book, but having finished it, I can't really remember what it was about at all. It's part auto-biographical, part "how-to" manual, but doesn't really work on either level.

What was most disappointing about Travis Macy and John Hanc ’s story?

I find that I have very little in common with Travis - It just didn't connect with me.

Did The Ultra Mindset inspire you to do anything?

Find another book to listen it? Maybe that's a bit harsh, but there are many far better reads out there.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

M. Evans

8/26/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Tough listen"

Think a possible average book with very few principles was taken below par by the narration. A tough listen - but more about the Travis Macy career than principles of an ultra mindset. Maybe just a wrong title for the book; but wanted more from this.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Phil

Paisley, United Kingdom

3/2/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"fantastic insight into mental strength"

loved it. very interesting and descriptive story about the mental fortitude required in both sporting and personal endevours

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

David

Leeds, United Kingdom

2/11/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"well worth a listen"

This is a book written by a guy who has been there and done it with bells on. He offers practical insights into why an ultra mindset can be applied and be extremely useful in day to day life.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Dave252

1/15/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Ok book."

It was just ok.some good bits.some boring.born to run.best running book I have ever read.some ultra runners won't mention scott jureck.seriously.we all have are own opinions.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Report Inappropriate Content

If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.